SUMMARY INFORMATION
Department: Africa
Country: Kenya
Desired start date: 29th July 2024
Duration: 30 Day Consultancy
Under direction of: Country Director, Kenya|Tanzania
CONSULTANCY SUMMARY
About the Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance (RA) is an international nonprofit organization working at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests to make responsible business the new normal. We are building an alliance to protect forests, improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promote their human rights, and help them mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. We envision a world where people and nature thrive in harmony.In Kenya we have supported over 800,000 smallholder farmers in tea and coffee. We work through our RA Certification Program and landscape program investments in key themes such as livelihoods and conservation; supply chain services in topics such as risk mapping and monitoring and evaluation; and public advocacy and communications.
For more information, please visit http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/about.
Overview
The Rainforest Alliance, through its certification programs and sustainability initiatives, strives for a more responsible coffee sector. In Kenya, the coffee industry plays a crucial role in supporting approximately 5 million people directly and indirectly. Contributing 0.3% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), coffee is a vital source of livelihood not only for Kenya but also globally. The cultivation of coffee spans 109,385 hectares across 33 counties, with the top five producing counties being Kiambu (19.45%), Kirinyaga (17.28%), Nyeri (12.98%), Murang’a (10.54%), and Kericho (9.71%). The sector primarily consists of smallholder farmers organized into cooperative societies for primary processing and marketing. These cooperative societies, which operate as member-based private entities with a public interest, are pivotal in the industry's structure. Additionally, medium and large-scale producers are categorized as estates. As of the year 2022/2023, there were 2,749 active estates and 605 cooperative societies, totaling 1,122 factories engaged in coffee processing and production.
Despite its importance, the Kenyan coffee sector grapples with complex human rights issues. Low earnings for smallholders, inadequate regulations, and weak governance within cooperatives create a landscape susceptible to exploitation. Research has identified potential risks such as poor working conditions, occupational hazards, child and forced labor, discrimination, and land tenure insecurity.
The Rainforest Alliance's existing certification standards promote responsible practices within the coffee supply chain. However, a deeper understanding of current human rights concerns is necessary. This assessment will bridge this gap by analyzing existing human rights issues in the context of the Rainforest Alliance standard, other due diligence processes, the Kenyan National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP), and relevant national laws.
The proposed Human Rights Needs Assessment will concentrate on a representative sample of coffee plantations and cooperatives situated within Kiambu County, the leading coffee-producing region in Kenya. The gathered insights will inform the development of targeted recommendations for all stakeholders involved in the Kenyan coffee supply chain, enabling them to effectively address and prevent human rights issues.
Main Objectives
The primary objective of this consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive human right needs assessment, focusing on the following:
Gain a comprehensive understanding of human rights concerns within Kenyan coffee sector.
Identify areas where the Rainforest Alliance standard and other frameworks can be strengthened to address these concerns.
Develop practical recommendations for stakeholders to improve human rights practices in the Kenyan coffee sector.
Contractor Services at a minimum, must include:
The selected consultant will be responsible for the following:
Desk Review:Review existing research, reports, and data related to human rights concerns, the Rainforest Alliance standard, and other applicable documents (to be provided by Rainforest Alliance), due diligence processes, the Kenyan NAP, and relevant nationaland international frameworks.
Stakeholder Mapping:Develop a comprehensive stakeholder map focused on human rights, including coffee stakeholders, government agencies, civil society organizations, and relevant parties
Field Research:Conduct field visits to estates to collect data through:
Interviews with various stakeholder groups, with a specific focus on the study will focus on gathering insights from various levels within coffee estates and cooperatives, including managers, supervisors, general workers across different areas such as farms, labor camps, wet mills, offices, dry mills, union members, social group members and other stakeholders in the sector.
Focus group discussions.
Community consultations.
Data Analysis:Analyze collected data to identify trends, patterns, and root causes of human rights violations.
Gap Analysis:Evaluate the effectiveness of existing frameworks including implementation of the Rainforest Alliance Grievance Mechanisms and identify gaps and inconsistencies in addressing human rights concerns.
Report Writing:Draft a comprehensive report, outlining:
Findings of the assessment.
Analysis of root causes and contributing factors.
Gap analysis.
Actionable recommendations for stakeholders.
Presentation:Present the key findings and recommendations in stakeholder workshops Prepare and a concise summary of the report for broader dissemination.
Deliverables
The expected deliverables and estimated timeline is as follows:
General Terms and Conditions for Request for Proposal
Proposals and/or any additional information received after the submission time and date are subject to rejection by The Rainforest Alliance. Incomplete proposals may be rejected by RA at its discretion.
The Rainforest Alliance reserves the right to request additional information at any time during the procurement process.
RA is at liberty to make multiple or no selections as part of the proposal process. RA also reserves the right to cancel the procurement.
All proposal costs shall be borne by the applicant and will not be reimbursed by RA.
Selection Criteria
Required Skills and Experience
Note: Due to the sensitive nature of the interview topic, we are seeking a team that includes women consultants to conduct the interviews.
Academic qualifications:
Master’s degree in international development, Social Sciences, Knowledge Management, or related area, required. Equivalent relevant experience combined with a bachelor’s degree may also be considered.
Experience:
A minimum of 7 years’ experience creating safe and enabling environments for interviewing vulnerable people on sensitive topics.
Have demonstrable experience conducting HRIAs in complex environments, particularly in the agricultural sector.
Possess a strong understanding of human rights principles and standards, including the UNGPs.
Have experience working in Kenya and familiarity with the Kenyan coffee context, including relevant laws and regulations.
Demonstrate a strong track record of conducting participatory research and stakeholder engagement in the Kenya Agricultural sector
Proven ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines, and to deliver in a timely manner within cost and quality standards.
Experience in this profile must be verifiable with supporting documents including recommendations from previous clients
Proposal Process and Format
Interested individuals or firms should send their application with their technical and financial proposal though Hirehive before July 17, 2024 and the successful candidates will be notified by July 26, 2024.
List of expected documents when submitting the proposal:
a. Letter of Interest (Expression of Interest) with a clear understanding of the terms of reference
b. Company/individual profile with Proof of required competencies (relevant references)
List of previous engagements that addresses the above experience desired.
Current C.V.(S)
Contact details of recent references number
c. An example of previous work that illustrates experience conducting interviews in the agricultural supply chains and applying participatory social science research methodologies (including focus group facilitation)
d. Financial proposal: The total budget required to successfully complete the deliverables and cover all associated expenses, including taxes, to be specified in Kenyan Shillings (KES).
Thank you for your interest in working with the Rainforest Alliance
